Have Your Say - Question 3
How might we enable high quality learning over the next 10 years?
We want to hear from you - add your comment
Submitted by Valerie Park, Faculty, Posted 02 17 2012
Academic Plan Should Support Every Student Building an e-portfolio.
Our deliberations have included frequent references to recording both hard and soft skills on our students’ transcripts. Frequent use of the word “transcript” in yesterday’s Finalization Session prompted me to reflect on the use and meaning of this term. This morning I questioned colleagues and students asking them,” What is the purpose of a transcript?” Responses included, “A trans-what?” “I don’t think anyone uses them anymore – certainly not employers.” And finally, “I needed my transcripts to get into my Ph.D. program, but I don’t think transcripts have any real world value.” These responses sent me off to review the literature, ‘cause that’s what librarians do, and discovered the current and future synonym for transcript is e-portfolio.
Take a few minutes to learn more about e-portfolios.
- Read e-portfolio entry in Wikipedia
- Search Google for "e-porfolios in higher education"
- Watch YouTube for reasons why employers want e-portfolios
If our future students built/ created e-portfolios defining and exemplifying their skills to share with future employers and to take with them on their lifelong learning journey we would know that more that 60% of our strategies had been successful:
Technology:
Mohawk Technology Toolbox
Open Source Learning
Technology Literacy
Pathways:
Lifelong Learning
Connections to Industry and Community
Skills:
Skill Building
Integrated Delivery
Culture:
Personal Learning
Differentiated Learning
Could we ask the wordsmiths to replace transcript with e-portfolio in the next almost-final draft of Mohawk’s new Academic Plan?
By Kathy, Social Service Worker student Posted 11/16/2011
High Quality Learning over the next ten years can be attained by continually staying current within methods of academic teaching. Stay current in technology.Keep up with the other Colleges and Universities approaches to educating students and do the same.
By Terri, Social Service Worker student Posted 11/16/2011
hey, Use your own market research students!! Analysts tell you where the job market is going.... Mohawk Students learn the skills to tell you where they want to go! If it is anything like my program you are required to do enough research that you already know where you should head by graduation time!
By Anonymous Posted 11/01/2011
I think there should be more student/staff support provided.
There seems to be a lot of wait time for the students, in crucial times of need.
All faculty members should have good knowledge about every program, and multiple people to go to for guideance.
By Anonymous Posted 9/28/2011
1.Job Development Night Courses for people who work in the employment programs in hamilton and surrounding areas
2.Addictions
Courses for continuing education Full time studies and part time studies instead of going to Mac or other universities
3. Look at having the courses to get your BA of Masters in Social Work
These are what i have been looking for i continue to get my education through Mohawk and would rather not go to another School if these were offered here
By Aron Posted 9/6/2011
offering courses, workshops and professional development to graduates of Mohawk College to upgrade skills..offering courses in computers, Education, Health care their should be more professional development Certificate of Attendance or Acknowlegement of completion courses
By Anonymous Posted 8/3/2011
Here are some responses from our session with McMaster Deans on June 29th:
Development in collaboration with industry and community of robust measurements for quality and their measurement of quality or continuous application to improve the quality of the student experience including non-curricular “stuff”.
Engage faculty, staff, facilities and community collaboratively to deliver leading edge programs and continuously improve
By Anonymous Posted 8/3/2011
Here are the responses from our session at Fennell on July 12th:
Enable high quality learning by having “small” (max 25) class size to better support the faculty / student relationships
By having college wide accountability to our (students and each other) college community
Increase general education (to 3 hours) to improve core capabilities (respect what other colleges are still doing)
By Anonymous Posted 8/3/2011
Here are the responses from our session at IAHS on July 11th:
High quality learning will be facilitated by transparent work processes and systems for all employees and students
Regular performance reviews and learning plans for all employees with shared responsibility (accountability) of resources and outcomes
By Anonymous Posted 8/3/2011
Here are some ideas from our session at Fennell on June 14th:
Thoughtful, increased focus on math, language / communication and basic computer literacy in all programs
Invest in faculty quality and ongoing learning (professional development)
Continuous improvement – feedback loop, internal / external audits
Transferability
More money – more effective use of dollars for all resources
Judicious, consultative corporate decision-making with emphasis on building core academic skills and practical skills, recognizing diversity of programs and students
By Anonymous Posted 7/5/2011
Some students are underprepared when entering college and may have difficulties persisting. Some may need additional time to complete a program and some would benefit from a lighter course load.
The college should consider creating a pathway for students to complete a 2 or 3 year program in an extra year. This could balance course load and help students persist.
The college could pursue support for students in financial need to offset the additional cost of the extra year.
By Anonymous Posted 6/15/2011
Here are some ideas from our session at Fennell on June 9:
Access Programs: ESL, remedial, financial aid, second career, bridge programs, pre-programs, flexible hours (nights, weekends, online), summer classes
Networking: ties to the community; mentors; smaller classes – knows students better; guest speakers; community presence (downtown location)
Foundational Skills: essential (college life / career) skills – time, computer, organizational, projects;
Adaptable – learning, students; add-on year; major / minor; interdisciplinary
Partnerships with leading edge industries: resources, knowledge, trend identification and setting, curriculum, people
Delivery: choice (flexibility): face to face, blended, distance; lifestyle / learning style; co-op, apprenticeships; fast tracking
Investment: faculty training – PD sabbaticals; labs/facilities; learning experiences; employer partnerships; resources; faculty recruitment (applied)
By Anonymous Posted 6/15/2011
Here are some ideas from our session in Brantford on June 9:
Invest, maintain and nurture the key relationships (faculty, students, staff, employers, management and partners) at the college. This can be done by developing professional learning communities. To do this we need: a deliverable that is relevant; a culture of trust; to utilize each other; to support each other; to utilize the community. Time and Money are potential resources barriers that would need to be addressed.
Invest and maintain the tools to support the key relationships noted above and be leading edge: Set the standards, not follow; Create the “wow” factor; brag more; “in your face” marketing; Believe in being #1. The tools include: technology that’s current, facilities that are state of the art, working groups, curriculum, etc…
By Anonymous Posted 6/10/2011
Here are some of the ideas from our session with local School Boards held on June 6:
- Top, high quality instructors – motivated, from industry, research
- Programs that are at industry standards – responsive, projecting ahead, investment, research – outside world into the classroom
- Dynamic learning environment – faculty facilitated teaching; students – voice learning from interdisciplinary studies
- Developing our educators – provide enabled faculty – opportunity to bring global learning to students, Deeper learning experience
By Anonymous Posted 6/10/2011
Ensure class content is relevant and up-to-date. Ensure teachers use up-to-date examples, not the same case studies they have been using for the last 20 years.
By Anonymous Posted 6/10/2011
Here are some of the ideas from the session held at STARRT on May 31:
- All employees have the desire to teach, professionally recruited and supported during their employment with appropriate professional development
- Make employees and employers feel heard. The current system seems "broke", needs to be streamlined.
- A real world experience of their academic studies: equipment & labs, industry partners, on-the-job training, program content connection to industry demands, More co-op opportunities
- High quality programs: method of delivery, annual program review, 24x7 teaching, flexibility, diversity, relevant PD for faculty (FT), relevant PD for PT faculty, pedagogy; Current in teaching skills
By Anonymous Posted 6/9/2011
Adaptability, Innovative and Competitive. The College needs to produce graduates that can compete in both the national and global markets. We need to be able to compete with other nations, especially countries with large populations. The country and the world needs to see these graduates for their worth and know where they came from.
By Anonymous Posted 6/2/2011
Stick to fundamentals as the building blocks including strong writing and math skills. Provide as much opportunity to test these and problem solving skills in real-life and modelled scenarios. Do it interactively and take advantage of social media opportunities.
By Anonymous Posted 5/29/2011
- Further development of alternate coursework delivery (online learning systems).
- Continued emphasis on the development and integration of team learning environments.
- Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) must be established for the effective development of college programs.
- Greater encouragement and flexibility for faculty regarding Professional Development time.
By Anonymous Posted 5/27/2011
- Diversity in educational delivery including technology in all classrooms
- Learning laboratories to provide experiential learning and supports for all students enrolled
- Full-time faculty who are committed to a high quality of teaching and learning
- By valuing faculty who are genuinely dedicated to the college and student learning
By Anonymous Posted 5/27/2011
Students are inspired by faculty who are current, qualified, committed and inspiring - support faculty with time in their workload to increase their credentials, develop their programs using the best evidence and to contribute to the scientific advancements by conducting research- students are inspired by faculty who: continue to increase their knowledge and skills and are committed to embracing change in methods of delivering education
By Anonymous Posted 5/27/2011
Why all the new buildings? I'd rather see smaller classes and more course variety. Students get bored taking the topics all the time -- they need more different topics that teach them more than just nuts and bolts.
By Anonymous Posted 5/26/2011
Currently we are squandering the ability of our best students. Most programs are structured with the intention of ensuring the "average" student will be successful. When academically "strong" students enter a program many find they can do well without much effort and after a couple of terms minimal effort becomes the norm for them.
We need to develop some programs that will challenge these stronger students starting in their first semester. Yes, this means that some students will find themselves out of their depth from the beginning however this can be mitigated by making it clear to prospective students as to the more advanced nature of the material and pace of a given program. With this information they should be more inclined to choose a program more suited to their capabilities.
By Anonymous Posted 5/26/2011
Have better and higher standards than we currently have. People will work to whatever standards are set and we do them a disservice by having ours so low. Would you want a road, or bridge or building or medical support built or given by someone who only knew HALF of what they should? Would a current worker be able to keep their job if they only knew HALF? No to both. Design reasonable programs with reasonable POS's and durations and more will succeed.
By Anonymous Posted 5/26/2011
Provide the students with a faculty that is current and dedicated to their students, programs and the college. If the faculty is not inspired then they cannot deliver inspiring lectures and labs. There are a lot of components that go into making a great college, but none are more important than the frontline faculty. For example, have a look at individual program KPI results; I'm sure that you will find the scores are highest in ALL keystone categories for programs that have the most dedicated stable faculty base. If students are happy with their classes and with what they are learning, then they will be happy with the college overall. A new cafeteria, lounge and coffee shops will aid in improving campus life, but that stuff can never replace the real reason that a student will choose Mohawk…to learn and be future ready. Never cease in tracking down and HIREING the best and brightest faculty you can get. Great teachers make great programs that attract lots of students for real learning.
Thanks for asking.
By Anonymous Posted 5/26/2011
-teach the teachers to model high academic, social, personal wellness standards
-support student generated initiatives and learning (peer teaching)
-investigate student needs from a respected student perspective
By Anonymous Posted 5/26/2011
Good industry partnerships to help develop program standards and ensure graduates meet those standards (helps develop program reputation). Ensure the facilities meet standards to provide the highest quality learning environment for a wide variety of student needs.
By Anonymous Posted 5/20/2011
I always admired Jack Welch and the transformation of GE while he was CEO. His view was that GE would only support a business if they could be number 1 or 2 in the world in that business or if it made a significant contribution to a business in which they were number 1 or 2 in the world. He also said that although GE was one of the largest companies in the world they had to be able to react and respond to changing market conditions as quickly as the corner mom and pop shop. Mohawk is located in the "centre" of Canada and can draw on parts of N.Y. It would be an interesting academic exercise to apply Welch's philosophy to Mohawk's situation and see what comes out of the process.
By Anonymous Posted 5/19/2011
We will be forced to deal with a series of paradoxes. We must invest funds to prepare students to deal with more complex situations at a time when funds are becoming more limited. We must function in an arena where individuals will need higher and higher educational qualifications to get a job but some would say that we are getting greater numbers of less "qualified" students. If we focus on "more sophisticated" programs and "raise the bar" to attract more "qualified" students, are we straying from the mandate of a Community College and its role in the commmunity. I think that we are going to have to come up with cost effective innovative programming that will attract the more sophisticated students who have traditionally gone to university while maintaining opportunities for the more traditional community college students. I believe that initiatives like the innovation centre and the hatchery are in the right direction but based on Mohawk's track record I am not optimistic that they will reach their potential and the necessary degree of success that will be required. I think that we are going to have to develop a much closer working relationship with the secondary panel to better understand the students that we are trying to attract and pro-act accordingly.
By Anonymous Posted 5/18/2011
We will enable quality learning by maintaining standards and by not lowering the bar on our expectations. We will stress the basics and will move on from there to make the student very proficient in their field of study. We will do this by providing excellent face-to-face time..... something that students very much need. We will also provide on-line experiences and a wealth of varied experiences both in and outside of the classroom.
By Anonymous Posted 5/17/2011
We need to deliver using methodologies have have yet to be developed. For example, using "serious gaming" technolgies to enhance practical learning currently accomplished through simulations. We could be more flexible, less expensive, easily and proactively current, and environmentally responsible at an enitrely new level - think holodeck.
By Anonymous Posted 5/16/2011
Invest in the college - resources, staff, capital, technology and HR.
By Anonymous Posted 5/16/2011
Enable Students for success: Set the bar appropriately (stepping stones, hurdles, high jump, pole vault)
By Anonymous Posted 5/16/2011
Flexibility / Resources
- accountability to maintain high calibre learning spaces
By Anonymous Posted 5/16/2011
Enviro-cation: learning environment
- Living in the career environment while in college
- Customized environment for each program (living lab idea)
By Anonymous Posted 5/16/2011
Equity & Accessibility enabled by:
- State of the art technology
- High academic standards
- Value-added work experiences
- Learning services
- Student development
By Anonymous Posted 5/16/2011
Industry Engagement
- Faculty connected to industry
- $$ for equipment and support
- Partnerships
- Co-op / internships
By Anonymous Posted 5/16/2011
Quality Instruction:
- Support for diverse pedagogy
- Lots of face-to-face
- Diverse methods of teaching
- Alternative methods of instruction
- Student development
- In/outside of classroom learning
